STARS CAMTS reaccreditation: Reinforcing leadership in critical care transport

In April 2025, STARS successfully completed another rigorous review by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) ─ an achievement that reaffirms STARS’ commitment to providing advanced emergency pre-hospital care across Western Canada.

CAMTS is a peer review organization dedicated to improving patient care and safety through a rigorous accreditation process that ensures the development of standards, education and services of medical transport systems.

Since 1998, STARS has undergone CAMTS reaccreditation every three years, a process that evaluates all operational aspects of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). As the first international organization ever accredited by CAMTS, STARS remains one of only five international programs to hold this distinction.

The CAMTS standards span every aspect of STARS’ operations, including management, staffing, safety, patient care, emergency communications, and rotor-wing standards. The rigorous approach ensures that STARS consistently aligns with current industry best practices.

This year’s review highlighted many key strengths at STARS, further affirming the organization’s dedication to saving the next patient in need. According to CAMTS, STARS’ strengths include dual pilot operations and biannual pilot simulation training, for example.

STARS outreach training, including simulation learning opportunities for EMS agencies, and a well-developed safety system featuring access to real time safety data, were also highly commended.

“CAMTS is inclusive of all areas of our operations. Across Aviation, Clinical Care, Engineering, and our Emergency Link Centre, we’re proud to meet or exceed the majority of CAMTS standards, which are widely recognized as industry best practices in the HEMS environment,” said Andrea Callaghan, Director of the Emergency Link Centre.

The CAMTS reaccreditation is an important distinction that reflects STARS’ unwavering commitment to providing safe, advanced critical care to rural, remote and urban areas across Western Canada.